Sadia Salman is a certified nutritionist from Tufts University, USA and the CEO of Diet by Design(Int’l). She has over seven years of experience in treating patients with various health issues through food both in Pakistan and in Canada. Most of her work is on managing diseases like hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes etc through weight management. She believes in building a healthy community by educating the masses in any capacity that she can. Her new health blog is one the ways to spread awareness about health and nutrition.

 

Can Food Replace Medicine?

Following a healthy diet can increase longevity, improve the overall quality of life and protect against diseases.

Having said that, let’s be clear on one thing though—diet cannot be a substitute for medicines and all diseases cannot be treated by diet alone. Dietary choices can either increase or prevent the risk of diseases so they have utmost importance in our lives.

Here are some foods with powerful medicinal qualities:

Berries:

Nutrients in berries fight various diseases including certain types of cancer.

Fatty Fish:

Omega 3 in its purest form can be found in Salmon, Sardines and other fatty fish. They fight inflammation and protect against heart diseases.

Mushrooms:

There are certain compounds in mushrooms which boost the immune system, heart and brain, especially maitake and reishi mushrooms.

Spices:

Spices like turmeric, ginger and cinnamon help with arthiritis and metabolic syndrome.

Herbs:

Herbs have many health enhancing compounds especially parsley, rosemary, oregano and sage.

Foods such as nuts, avocados, olives, honey, seaweeds and fermented foods are well known for their medicinal properties too.

A nutrient dense diet with wholesome foods can prevent and even treat some chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease but we cannot rely totally on foods to replace medication.